Emergency management officials participated in regional evacuation tabletop exercises and have identified a need to invest in additional portable lighting and electronic message boards at strategic sites throughout the SRAC region to improve evacuation readiness and disaster response. The recommendation comes from the Regional Evacuation Route Study funded by MASSDOT, which was developed with local, regional, and state partners to identify evacuation routes and resources needed during emergencies. Additional portable lighting and message boards would help responders operate more efficiently severe weather and power outages to improve communication with the public. Successful evacuations require more than designated routes, emergency officials also need reliable ways to communicate with residents and support safe operations at any time of day. Electronic message boards can provide real-time updates on traffic, shelter locations, road closures, route changes, and hazards, helping reduce confusion during emergencies.

Additional lighting would improve safety at resource sites by supporting equipment distribution, vehicle staging, and coordination among police, fire, public works, transportation, and emergency management agencies. Beyond evacuations, the equipment could be used during hurricanes, floods, hazardous materials incidents, infrastructure failures, search-and-rescue operations, and large public events. Message boards and portable lighting investment are a cost-effective way to strengthen regional preparedness as severe weather and other public safety challenges become more frequent.

The SRAC cache sites that exist in Barnstable, Bridgewater and Foxborough are well positioned to support this identified need. These caches already provide light towers and message boards that can be deployed across the region and have demonstrated their value in the past during emergency incidents and planned events. Expanding the inventory of portable lighting and message boards at these sites would increase regional coordination capabilities at a low cost.